God often uses ordinary people to achieve His extraordinary purpose. He even chose a normal teenage girl to be the mother of the Messiah. Today, on Turning Point, Dr. David Jeremiah shines the spotlight on Mary. The young girl who demonstrated faith and obedience beyond her years.
leading God to favor her with the privilege of raising his Son. to introduce his message, Why Marry? Here's David. And as I hear the announcement of this message, I'm reminded that we have a movie that we did on Christmas. And one of the profound parts of that movie is the portrayal of Mary.
If you haven't seen Why the Nativity, keep watching Turning Point. Go to our website. You'll see all the places where it's available. You can get it for your church. You can watch it in your home.
This beautiful movie portrays the incarnation in a way that you may never have seen before. It's a beautiful, beautiful presentation of Christmas. And right in the middle of it is the woman Mary. And we're going to talk about her today and tomorrow. You know, for all my life, I've noticed that there's kind of a divide in Christianity.
Some people venerate Mary beyond what the scripture allows, but others ignore her as if she were not a part of the redemption story. Her part is important. It's not redemptive in its sense, but it's important because she was the mother of the Redeemer, and she played an important role. It's an intriguing story. And we're going to talk about Mary today and tomorrow here on Turning Point.
Before we get into our lesson, let me remind you that during this month, our resource is the best one of the year, the beautiful leather-covered devotional for the new year. And this year, the devotional is called A Closer Walk with Jesus, 365 devotional thoughts, one for every day of the year. You deserve to have this. I hope you will get it. It's yours for a gift of any size to Turning Point during the month of December.
Now, I've already told you we need your help this December, so do the best you can. But whatever it is that you believe God wants you to give, you send it. And when you do, you ask for the devotional, and it'll be on its way toward your home as soon as we can get it to you. Hopefully, before this month is over, and you can begin the new year in the Word of God, walking along with so many others who are studying a closer walk with Jesus in Turning Points Devotional. Thank you for letting us make that available to you.
It's pretty exciting to us. Here's part one of Why Mary. Millions of people in all of the world have named their daughters Mary. This Hebrew name has been popular in all the countries of the Western world. and has altogether some twenty different variations like Maria or Marie or Marian.
Several years ago, a survey was taken to see which names were most popular in America. And Mary was far and away the most popular girl's name. In fact, one study said there were 3,700,000 girls named Mary in America. and another 645,000 named Marie. The name Mary is a very popular name, it's a very good name, and it appears 51 times in the New Testament.
Now, Mary, the mother of Jesus. who is front and center during this season of the year. Is better known than any other female character in all of the Bible. She has been the best known woman in the world since the days of the manger in Bethlehem. And after centuries, the statement still stands.
Blessed are you among women.
Now all that you will ever know about Mary, you will have to learn from Matthew and Luke. They are the ones who tell us about this woman. And today, we're going to look at the mother of our Lord's life. and discover three characteristics of godliness that she teaches us. That are illustrated in her life, that should be true in our lives as we walk with the Lord.
Every person in the Bible Has their story in the Bible, not so that we could learn about them particularly, but so that we can learn from them and apply the lessons of their lives to our lives as well. I want you to know we all have much to learn from Mary. First of all, Mary teaches us the submission of godliness. In Luke chapter 1 and verse 38, we read these words. Then Mary said, Behold, the maidservant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word.
And the angel departed from her.
Now, I read that verse out of context so that I can go back and put it in context, and you can see how profound this truth really is. From the very beginning of Mary's relationship with Jesus, It was all about submission. When the angel Gabriel came to Mary with the news that she was to be the human mother of the Messiah, Mary had no warning, she had no preparation, she had no timeline, she had no precedent. She was presented with this announcement in the normal routine of a young Jewish maiden's life. And the entire dialogue between Mary and the angel took place in Mary's home.
Now Truth be told, every Jewish woman had this dream. That perhaps she would be privileged to be the mother of the long-awaited Messiah. And they would dream of this, but not really believe that it could ever happen to them. Surely Mary had this thought, but perhaps just casually. She could not have imagined that such a thing would happen to someone like her, a peasant woman.
of the leased estate. Mary was told by the angel that day, when the angel intervened in her life, that she would bear a son, and that this son's name would be called Jesus. And she was told that this Jesus would be born to her. In a manner by which no child had ever before been born into the world. She was to have a child without having a relationship with the man.
She would be with the child of the Holy Spirit.
Now once again, I want you to read with me the words of Luke 1.38. This is how Mary responded to the news that she was to become the mother of the Messiah. She said, Behold, the maidservant of the Lord, be it unto me according to your word. In other words, Lord, I don't understand this, I don't comprehend it. But whatever you desire, Be it unto me.
According to your word.
Now Mary must have wondered in her heart. Why have I been favored? To be the mother of Jesus. Why me? The reason she was chosen are not told us in the Word of God, they're known only to God Himself.
But it is clear from studying her life and the little information that we have that she was no random selection. She was an ordinary small-town girl, and she would be obedient and courageous as she was. From her son, we learned that she was a woman of scripture, a woman of faith. She should be a virgin, that the glory of God might be miraculously demonstrated. She should be a peasant, in keeping with the humble nature of the Lord's birth.
Mary was all of these things. She honored and obeyed the will of her father. Providing his only son a home from which he could emerge to launch. the work that would define all of human history. The child Jesus.
toddled behind Mary, in his infancy. And then in time. She walked behind him. In fact, She walked behind him. all the way to the cross.
and all the way to the tomb. Proverbs 31:30 defines the kind of woman that Mary was. Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord. She shall be praised. Mary teaches us.
the submission of godliness. Could I pause for just a moment and say that in all of our lives there comes a moment when God asks us to do something or gives us a word that we should obey. And we faced the same dilemma that she did. Will we accept it or will we Turn from it. And it is my prayer that in my life I can learn from Mary that when God asks me to do something that may be hard or certainly that I don't understand.
I can allow my soul to rise up in obedience with the words of Mary, be it unto me according. to your word. Lord, whatever you want. I am your servant. I will do what you ask me to do.
It could be that some of you have been fighting. With something God has been asking you to do. Maybe He's been sending a word to you about some new ministry you should take on, or maybe He's been giving you some direction about your life or your job or your family. Let me ask you to go back and learn from Mary the submission of godliness and let your words be hers. Lord God, be it unto me according to your word.
I will do what you tell me to do. And then Mary teaches us not only the submission of godliness, she teaches us the surprise of godliness. I get weary with people who talk about the Christian life and say, you Christians must not have any fun. It sure looks like it's a boring life being a Christian.
Well, anybody who really knows what Christianity is all about knows that's about as far from the truth as anything could be. The adventure of walking with Jesus Christ is the greatest adventure you will ever know on this earth. Heaven will be better, but nothing before that will be. To know that you are related to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, and that the Creator of the universe has sent His Son to live within your life. And that you have a direct communication to Almighty God, and that every day you can fellowship with Him and walk with Him, and He will direct you, and guide you, and strengthen you and be with you.
And you don't have to face this world by yourself. The adventure of walking with Jesus is truly. A great adventure. But let's be honest about it. It's also full of surprises.
Can I get a witness? The Word of God tells us that when you walk with the Lord, He doesn't always give you a lot of information. About what's going to happen in the distant future. It's sort of like. Need to know basis.
Isn't that the way it is? Need to know. David, you need to know this today. I know it's going to raise some questions about tomorrow. When tomorrow comes, I'll tell you what you need to know.
And that was the way it was with Mary. Mary's whole relationship with Jesus Christ was a relationship of surprise. When Gabriel made his startling announcement to Mary concerning the birth of Jesus, here is how Mary first responded. She said, When she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and she considered what manner of greeting this was. Mary was dumbfounded by all of this.
She had no way of preparing. God surprised her. with the message of his plan for her life. And when the shepherds told Mary and Joseph what the angel had said about Jesus at his birth. She became quietly pensive.
We read, And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all of these things and pondered them in her heart. Mary was so taken by the message that she went inward. She went inward to her heart. She collected all these truths and deposited them within the deep recesses of her heart.
And she did not discuss them with others. She just thought them through herself. Have you ever had a moment like that? When Almighty God speaks to you, or something happens in your life, and this is rare and new and different and surprising, and there's no way you can even explain it. You just go inward to your heart.
And you ponder. What God has said. We like Mary. often find ourselves surprised and confused as we try to submit to God. We often struggle as we see what he is doing in the lives of our children.
We, like Mary, do not have a blueprint for their lives any more than we have one for our own. But when we submit to the Lord by faith, We discover along with Mary that he is worthy of our trust. How many of you know he always comes through? He always is there for us. He hears us.
our prayers and he meets our needs. Mary teaches us the submission of godliness and the surprise of it. But finally, We need to take a pause here away from the joy and gladness of Christmas. And just remember that Christmas is only meaningful in light of the fact that it is the beginning and not the end. Christmas by itself is a beautiful story and nothing more.
Christmas without Easter Is One of the better stories in the history of the world. But no more. But when you put Christmas together With Easter, when you realize that the cradle and the grave have a straight line drawn between them. then even Christmas becomes. more profound and more meaningful.
Mary teaches us not only the submission of godliness and the surprise of it. but she teaches us the suffering of it as well. And somehow, this story is all wrapped into the fabric of Christmas, and the threads from Christmas spin out and keep going until you end up. Standing outside of the tomb on the first resurrection morning. In John chapter 19, verses 26 and 27, we read these words.
When Jesus therefore saw his mother, And the disciple whom he loved standing by, he said to his mother, Woman, Behold your son. And he said to the disciple, Behold your mother. And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.
Now We move from the announcement of Jesus' birth to the agony of his death. It is the right transition to make. I remember years ago in our Christmas program, we used to start with the birth of Jesus and all of the celebration of Jesus, and then we actually went through his life story and we acted it out, and we ended up at the cross. I cannot tell you how many people wrote me letters angry. That we had the cross in the Christmas story, and saying that was a bloody story and it took away from the joy of Christmas.
Well, I had to explain to them that if you don't have the cross, you might as well not have the cradle. There's no reason for the cradle if there isn't any cross. And so the transition from the birth of Jesus to his death is a normal and natural one. Ladies and gentlemen, Jesus Christ was born to die. That's why he came to this earth.
As most of you know, the words from Jesus On the cross The seven distinct statements that Jesus made in his dying hour. Before he gave up, His Spirit to the Father. And those seven statements Are found in all the Gospels, spread out in the Gospels, some here, some there. They're usually a series of messages that some preachers preach before Easter, the seven last words from the cross. And I want to give them to you quickly.
I just want to show you what they are because there's a point I want to make from all of this. The first word from the cross is in Luke 23, 34, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. That is a prayer for God to forgive those who were crucifying Jesus Christ. The second word is Luke 23, 43. Jesus said to him, Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.
That's a word of forgiveness to the repentant thief who was hanging next to Jesus. The fourth word is Matthew 27, 46. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthanai, that is, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? A word of resignation spoken to the Father in heaven. The fifth word is John 19, 28.
After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, I thirst. The sixth word, so when Jesus had received his sour wine, he said, It is finished. Bowing his head, he gave up his spirit. And the seventh word is, and when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, he said, Father, into your hands. I commit my spirit.
Now if you've listened carefully, you know I left one out. And some of you are saying, I'm going to have to go up and ask him afterwards, what was the third one?
Well, I left it out on purpose because in many respects it doesn't belong. It's out of context. It doesn't fit. All these words, these profound words from the cross, from the lips of Jesus, words of forgiveness, words of resignation, words of thirst. But the third word is the word we read a few moments ago.
When Jesus therefore saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing by, he said to his mother, Woman, behold your son. And he said to the disciple, Behold your mother. And from that hour, that disciple took her to his own home. And you say, Pastor, so what's the big deal about that? Is it not an amazing thing that when Jesus hung upon the cross in the agony of the crucifixion, in the last moments of his life here on this earth, he turned his thoughts away from all that was involved on the cross to his concern for his own mother?
Around the cross that day were the onlookers and the bystanders. The critics of our Lord were there. Many were there who had mocked him with their words.
Some were heard to say, If you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross. The chief priests, the scribes, the elders of the Jews pointed their fingers at him and shouted, If you're the Christ, save yourself. And some of Jesus' friends were also there. John mentioned some who were present that day. If you merge the two lists where the names are given, you will discover that Mary, Jesus' mother, Mary the wife of Cleopas and Salome and John's mother and Mary Magdalene and John his beloved disciple were there.
Isn't it interesting? Three Marys left at the cross. And Jesus turned to John in one of the last moments on the cross and concerned himself with the well-being of Mary. And the scripture says that when they left the place of crucifixion, John took Mary to his own home. has to be one of the most tender moments in all of the New Testament record.
By the way, did you notice the first three words from the cross from Jesus were all about others? Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. This day you shall be with me in paradise. And John, that's my mother. You take care of her.
The record concerning Mary and John is filled with insights about godliness that translate into our culture and into our very homes. As we think back through the life of Jesus, And his mother We identify with so much they must have experienced. In fact, In the Christmas story, there is a little. Prophecy. that makes us look into the crucifixion.
Do you remember when Jesus was taken to the temple by his parents and presented to Anna and to Simeon? Do you remember that part of the story? It's right there in Luke chapter 2, often omitted from the Christmas message. But let me just read to you verses 34 and 35 of the second chapter of Luke. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel.
And for a sign which will be spoken against, yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also. that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. These words recorded by Luke were spoken by Simeon. when Jesus as an infant was presented to Simeon and Anna in the temple.
Now, the Bible says that Simeon took Jesus in his arms and blessed God. And then Simeon turned to Mary and prophesied the words that we just read. And he told Mary that her child would be the cause of much sorrow and much pain in her life. He spoke of a sword piercing through her own soul. This prophecy was given 30 years before the crucifixion, but it was being fulfilled now as we have read from John.
Mary watches her son being beaten and nailed to the cross. One of the most solemn moments in the movie, The Passion of the Christ, is the scene where Mary is watching her son as he is being beaten by the Roman soldiers. What an awful moment for her. I can see that play in my mind, though I've only seen the film two or three times. And we shied away from that.
I remember being in the film watching people, some covered their eyes so they didn't have to watch. I have to say to you, men and women, that Mary knew more pain in her life than most of us will ever, ever know. She knew about the godliness of suffering. And I'm sure there's no one in this building who has not wept and agonized in some way. Perhaps over your children.
Not like she wept for Jesus, but in other ways. I think Simeon's words are very appropriate. He said, when something's wrong with one of your kids, it's like a sword piercing through your soul. Is that not true? I mean, there's pain and then there's pain.
Most of us, as parents, we would take on a hundred times the pain. That we witness in the lives of our children if they're going through a tough time, maybe a sickness or a disease. or some relational issue at home or whatever. Simeon told Mary, Mary, you're going to suffer in your godliness, and there's going to be a day in your life where your experience is going to be like someone put a sword right through your soul. All of us know.
That children can be the source of the greatest heartache and the source of the greatest joy. Is that not true? And let me just add grandchildren to that list. Could I say that too? Yeah.
No. In fact, uh grandchildren are the blessing that we should have had before we had our children. Amen. Yes, we have great joy with our children, don't we? But if you've ever gone through a crisis with one of your kids, you know there's also great, serious, sword-piercing kind of pain, as I've said before.
There is no pain like parental pain. We will have more from The Bible about Mary when we meet together tomorrow on the Friday edition of Turning Point. In the meantime, thank you so much for being with us today. Don't forget that Turning Point produces a magazine and a devotional monthly. You can get it delivered right to your home.
You can actually have the devotional material downloaded into your inbox if you want it that way. But all you have to do is to get in touch with us and let us know you'd like to get our devotional. You can do that through the mail, through the internet, and we'll be happy to follow through as soon as we get your request. Don't forget that along with this series on the radio, there's a study guide that will help you organize and keep track of all the material that we're sharing with you during the month. This has been beautifully designed with photos from the film on the front.
And you can get this from our website, which is davidjeremiah.org. Get your copy of Why the Nativity. The study guide, you'll use it, I promise you, not only this year, but in the Christmas seasons to come. Have a great day, folks. We'll see you right here tomorrow.
For more information on Dr. Jeremiah's series, Why the Nativity, please visit our website where we also offer two free ways to help you stay connected, our monthly Turning Points magazine and our daily email devotional. Sign up today at davidjeremiah.org slash radio. That's davidjeremiah.org slash radio or call us at 800-947-1993. Ask for your copy of David's new 365-day devotional for 2026, A Closer Walk with Jesus.
It's yours for a gift of any amount. You can also purchase the Jeremiah Study Bible in the English Standard, New International, and New King James Versions, complete with notes and articles from Dr. Jeremiah's decades of study. Get all the details when you visit our website, davidjeremiah.org slash radio. This is David Michael Jeremiah.
Join us tomorrow as we continue the series, Why the Nativity? on Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah.
